Nile Cruise

[DJHawkes]

hi, can anyone recommend a good tour operator that is experienced in nile cruises please? My daughter is researching for a 14 day holiday for her 30th in august 2014. She would like 5 nts AI in luxor, excursions to karnak, luxor temple, valley of the kings avenue of sphinxes ad tomb of tut. then an AI nile cruise then 2 nights in cairo(giza) she wants to be on the cruise on the 12th and flying from manchester.
Anyone help with some ideas or how these excursions fit into the travelling?

[jno]

there was a double page spread on Egypt in the Telegraph travel section last weekend but for some reason it doesn't seem to be on line. Maybe it would be in your library.

Nile cruises you can now go from Luxor up to Cairo

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/9527520/Nile-cruise-returning-to-Middle-Egypt.html

but what people mostly do is Luxor to Aswan, rather shorter.

Fun to see the bazaars and mosques in Cairo, as well as the pyramids and museum.

[Cathyhuns]

Almost all tour operators to Egypt can organise such a tour / cruise and the excursions you mention will be included.

We went with Bales Worldwide and had 2 nights in Cairo and 7 nights cruising from Luxor to Aswan. In Cairo we stayed near Giza on B&B basis but the ruise was AI food. I believe it is difficult to get AI including drink. All those excursions were included. The only excursion we paid for was Abu Simbel from Aswan.

Remember though that it will be very hot in both Luxor and Cairo in August.

[friedgreentomato]

We went with Thomas Cook and they were brill the second time we went with Jules Verne

[Peter Pedant]

Yes ! every one should go to Egypt - now !

Very good deals as the tourist industry there has dropped about a billion (bucks). I think that is an underestimate.

August will be very hot - easily over 40'C

We were on the Monica on an AI for a week Luxor to Aswan - about 40 peeps and double berths for about 120.

Anyone will do - about 80% boats were moth-balled and empty when we were there. May 8-15 2013. All due to political unrest up t North in Cairo.

Bales see above is v v good and always has been (parents did Bales in the seventies)

We flew Thomson no frills - 5 hours there and 6 back Manchester - > Luxor
then went Orbital AI v v good value
others were doing Hurghada and nights over and it was easily arranged
still others were going north

Luxor is quite far from Cairo and I would leave that to another tiime
but I am certain it can be arranged.

Day trip to Abu Simnel (as one younger one said) - I couldnt stand 6 hrs in a bus

Balloons in Luxor are back !

I asked to arrange a visit to Kalabsha - it is the one you can see on the right as you look across the High Dam - and this was done without turning a hair. £75 stg for three.

very good value

[jno]

I wouldn't bother with across-the-desert all-day trips to places like Hurghada, nothing much to see on the way and they're just ordinary resorts when you get there. Save it for another time and just see the Nile. The only non-Nile site really worth seeing is St Catherine's monastery in the Sinai and when I tried to get there a year ago it was off-limits because bedouin were kidnapping tourists.

Alexandria is nice, but I wouldn't make a trip out of it. Alamein is interesting if you like that sort of thing but hot and dusty.

[DJHawkes]

thanks it's all interesting, the one she's looking at now is the nilecruise company and they do 7 nights cruise, on the monica, AI 12 excursions and then cairo B & B then flight cairo to luxor included with 4 nights at the Iberostar luxor AI. It's got everything she's after i think.

[DJHawkes]

i do think 40degrees would be too hot for her though, when we were in antigua she got very badly burnt and was quite bad for a couple of days. her birthday is august though and wants to spend her 30th actually on the nile : (

[jno]

the boats usually have an open top deck but have an awning over at least some of it so she doesn't have to be in the sun during the heat of the day. Like this

http://www.sights-and-culture.com/Egypt/cruise-ship-semiramisII.jpg